So I have a new item to add to the list of things that can spike my blood sugar under the larger sub-heading of stress/adrenaline…CRAZY road ragers who follow you.
I was taking my boys to the dentist this morning. I was headed to the interstate and had to cross an overpass to get to my on-ramp. There was construction on the overpass so everyone was forced to the right-most lane. As I passed the construction section, it looked too tight for me to jump across two lanes of traffic to get to my turn lane that I needed on the left side. So I decided it was safer just to move left one lane, to the left straight lane, and go up ahead to the gas station on the left past the stoplight and turn around. As I move from the right straight lane to the left straight lane just where the lane opened up past construction, this car behind me just starts laying on her horn and flipping me off and just will.not.stop. So we’re all sitting at the stoplight and she won’t let up. I go on ahead to turn left into this gas station to turn around and realize that she’s gotten out of the straight lane to FOLLOW ME into the gas station. She proceeded to follow me onto the interstate, past two exits, and into town towards my dentist office. She was driving like someone in the game “Frogger” the whole time to tail me and my kids. I called my husband and let him know what was going on and gave him a description of the car. I called the dentist office to let them know that I was on my way but might need assistance because I was being followed by an aggressive road rager. They said they would call the police if necessary. I lucked out and was the last car able to turn through the stoplight so I gunned it the rest of the way to the dentist office and dove into the back row of cars so that my license plate and stickers on the back of my vehicle would not be visible from the street and shut off my lights. We saw her go past looking for us. I then pulled up closer to the building. My husband came by and looked for her car while we were in the appointment. And then I asked the office to escort us back out to our vehicle.
I don’t know what she is doing with her life where she has time to abandon her plans for the morning and angrily tail a mom and her kids through town. And I don’t know what her plan was once she got hold of me.
So I have removed the stickers off the back of my vehicle now and hope I never run into her or anyone like her ever again.
My blood sugar shot up to 240 and is stuck there right now. Hopefully with my correction and being safely home that will settle down soon. I hated seeing my kids so freaked out. I tried to stay calm and tactical the whole time but dang, that was not what I had in mind for this morning.
@T1Allison
So much of this sort of thing going on nowadays! People are angry, not necessarily at you. They just don’t know how to deal with the life we’ve been handed. Luckily, yes, luckily, I don’t drive anymore. I don’t think I could deal with that kind of behavior.
I just got home from the gun shop where I got a fresh pepper blaster and pepper spray. And I changed the battery in my audio alarm keychain (125 DB).
Beyotches ain’t bringing me down if they bring the crazy to me. I’m not gonna go looking for a fight but I’ll take care of business if they get it twisted and I can’t get help in a timely fashion.
@T1Allison
First off, that’s seriously messed up. Like, SERIOUSLY. Like a few glasses of wine messed up. Or a long run…
I hate the havoc that the fight or flight response wreaks on my blood sugar. It basically stays high until I cry, throw things, or flail around “dancing”. Then its nap time.
I can’t imagine how much worse it must be when the kiddos are involved, and you don’t have the luxury of a freak out. Kudos to you for keeping it together while being chased by a mad woman.
@Breezy Yes, I’ve noticed that people are crazy on edge these days, looking for a fight. Makes it hard for decent folk to go about their business.
Concealed carrier since the mid 90’s and never leave home without my .45. I don’t keep a round chambered, but it’s always in reach and capable of being chambered in under a split second. Same as you, I don’t go looking for trouble but I’ll defend myself and my family by whatever means necessary.
I was victim to someone with road rage probably a decade ago by an old guy (I would have been 30’s, peak shape, he was 70’s probably and not so much so). He was flipping me off, honking his horn, etc., and I pulled off of the road and he followed me. I got out of my vehicle and we kind of met in the middle distance between our two vehicles and he was just cursing me out. I calmly asked repeatidly what I did wrong. He pulled back as if he was about to hit me and I told him that would be a mistake and to calm down. He continued cursing but after about a minute of 4 letter words, he eventually started breathing and told me I cut in front of him a little too closely when merging lanes. I told him I didn’t realize that I did that and I’m sorry. By the time we both pulled out he was calm again.
I like to verbally de-escalate where possible. It’s far too easy to resort to violence. I’m glad he didn’t have a gun with him, though, because during that encounter I was on my way to work and didn’t have my firearm with me because they don’t allow them on their premesis (even left in vehicles on their premesis).
Sometimes people are just having a bad day and the slighest infraction can turn someone into a road rage crazed maniac.
As a thin woman, I think that option won’t be on the table very often for me. I think if someone’s legit following me to my destination to engage me, my best bet is police intervention, public intervention or self-defense. I can’t get out and talk to someone who’s clearly lost it bc I cannot physically recover the situation if they get control of me.
When I went in to the gun shop today, there were two scroungy men sitting in a work van giving me the up-down like crazy on my way in to the shop. When I finished up inside, the salesman opened the door for me to leave and I asked him to keep eyes on the work van until I got to my vehicle because they’d been ogling me on my way in. He said, “Oh yeah. I see them. I sure will.”
I try to use other people for extra eyes as much as possible bc that seems to be a pretty good deterrent. Predators and bullies know how to pick their victims. So I try not to match what they’re looking for by making it unsafe for them.
I definitely don’t recommend pulling over. In hindsight, my encounter could have ended very differently. You definitely made the right choice. I would want my wife to do the very same thing.
I would agree with you except for the problem of response times around here. I already would have been assaulted or worse by the time they could find us if they even had anyone available to dispatch. Plus we have a routine problem of calls getting bounced on the cell phone towers to the wrong unit/state which only increases response time…if it gets sorted out at all.
I had notified my husband and the dentist office and they were both ready to assist and call the police on my behalf. I had to pay attention to my driving and lose her or find a route to keep going. I delegated what I had to.
As @Mariethm said previously, people are just ANGRY right now. It doesn’t excuse their behavior, but it does help to explain it. But at the end of the day you have to protect you and yours @T1Allison . Be safe
Wow, there is no excuse for that driver to be stalking you in her car! She clearly has too much time on her hands! I’m so sorry this resulted in a spike, but I’m also very glad that is all it resulted in and you and kids are all safe.
That is a scary event for sure. I think there are plenty of a-holes roaming around and acting out like that crazy lady. The pandemic or whatever might have exacerbated it for some people but overall I think it’s a symptom of the breakdown of society. Even before the pandemic there were lots of people roaming around with anger issues and a tendency to go after total strangers. The whole thing sucks and unfortunately continues to get worse.
So in talking to a retired cop friend, if you go to the police station for help…or if you call the police for help…there will ultimately likely be a report filed which the psycho could get a copy of and would have your home address on it. So that’s something to be aware of when dealing with unstable, angry people. Just a PSA for everyone in navigating our ever-outraged world of people.
In hindsight, my encounter could have ended very differently. You definitely made the right choice. I would want my wife to do the very same thing.
